Ways to support your child’s dreams

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No two children are exactly alike. While some might share common interests or hobbies, their personalities and set of skills and talents are unique to them. One child may be talented in athletics, while others may be more inclined towards the arts.

Parents have the power to create an environment that will allow their children to discover their talents and interests. Parents can encourage them, help them grow, and direct their steps so they can reach their full potential by:

Paying attention and providing hands-on experiences

Studies show that learning is enhanced when children are given the opportunity to select what they want to pursue. One way to spark a love for learning is to help your child discover and explore activities that interest them.

Expose your child to different experiences and use that moment to discover what he or she loves. Take them out to see a play, to a mom-and-me baking session, or even to visit an aquarium or zoo. You’ll be surprised to discover new things about your child just through these simple activities.

Providing resources to hone your child's talents

Once you have discovered your child's inclinations, providing the necessary resources will help them grow to their utmost potential.

If your child is talented in photography, you can nurture his or her gift by letting them experiment with a toy camera or by trying out phone photography. Enrolling in a summer course may also help as your child will receive further guidance from a professional while making good use of their free time.

Reinforcing talent through praise and encouragement

Acknowledging your children’s talents gives them a sense of self-efficacy and encourages growth.[i] By using praise, you are motivating your child to think positively about what he or she has accomplished. You are helping your child learn when they do well, and when to be proud of it.

Knowing when to push and when to hold back

One of the most challenging things for parents is to witness a child on the verge of giving up on something they love doing. Honing your child’s skills takes a lot of time and effort, and sometimes it could also give that unnecessary burden on your child to be good at it right away.

Know when it’s time to encourage more and when it’s time to let go. If you feel your child is undergoing great amounts of stress and frustration, it could be time for you to assess and take control of the situation. Afterall, no pursuit of talent and skill should ever come before your child’s emotional and mental wellbeing.

Preparing for and securing your child’s future

Every parent has an important responsibility to provide for their children's future and to encourage them to pursue as many of their interests and skills. Apart from the guidance they get at home, education plays a crucial role in honing your child. But sometimes, financial stability becomes a challenge in providing for your child’s educational needs. This is where planning ahead is important, not just to secure funds for tuition fees, but more importantly, to ensure that your child’s future is protected should anything happen to you.

One of the ways to prepare for your child’s education is to invest in a comprehensive insurance plan like MyLifeChoice for Education, a flexible insurance and investment plan from leading insurance company, AXA Philippines.

With this plan, you can build your child’s education fund while having peace of mind with the plan’s life insurance coverage that lets you customize up to 25x your basic premium. It also comes with the Bright Rider Plus feature that provides yearly lumpsum payouts should you pass on, which can be used to co-fund your child’s tuition and other educational expenses.

It also comes with a built-in accident coverage and waiver of premium benefits, which means that you will receive cash benefits when you encounter injuries caused by an accident. In the event of permanent disablement, future premium payments will be waived so you can just focus on your recovery.

MyLifeChoice for Education also allows you to choose from a variety of professionally managed local and global funds that let you create a personalized portfolio that matches your investment profile. On the first day of your plan, you will also be rewarded of an additional investment amount via the Start-up Bonus, which is equal to 70% of your first-year basic premium. Potential gains will be added to your savings at the end of policy years 10, 15, and 25 when you invest in the long-term with no withdrawals, missed payments or payment breaks.

“As with all caring adults, education is a crucial stage to develop a child's interests and build them up for their future careers. While this may take time and substantial resources, this is where your trusted insurance partner, AXA Philippines, comes in. Through our MyLifeChoice for Education product, you are empowered to pursue your goals and those of your children with peace of mind,” said Nandy Villar, AXA Philippines Chief Customer Officer.

For more information or to get a personalized quote, visit axa.com.ph/mylifechoice/education.

Ortigas Malls Media Alerts: Holy Week, Ortigas Malls store hours

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 In observance of Holy Week, Ortigas Malls store hours are as follows:

From April 3 to 5, Greenhills Mall will be open from 10am to 8pm, Tiendesitas will be from 10am to 9pm, and Estancia will be from 11am to 9pm. All three malls will be closed on Maundy Thursday (April 6) and Good Friday (April 7).

The malls will open again at regular hours on Black Saturday (April 8) and Easter Sunday (April 9).

Check Ortigas Malls’ Holy Week schedule below:

For more details, visit the social media pages of Greenhills Mall, Tiendesitas, and Estancia. Download the Ortigas Malls app to find out more about upcoming events, and sign up for the Ortigas Community Card for exciting perks.

Spend Easter Break at Richmonde Hotel Ortigas

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Holy Week is the perfect time to rest and spend time with family, and what can be more relaxing than staying in the city away from the crowded beaches and packed roads to out-of-town hotspots. At the center of the metro within the accessible Ortigas Center is Richmonde Hotel Ortigas which offers local staycationers a soothing sanctuary at special rates for an easy and affordable urban getaway.

Easter Break Escape Rates are available from April 1 to 10, 2023 starting at

PhP 3,400 nett per night for a 2-night stay, and PhP 3,500 nett for an overnight stay.

Available from April 1 to 10, 2023, Richmonde’s Easter Break Escape Room Package provides guests with a soothing sojourn for as low as PhP 3,400 nett per night if staying for two or more nights. Overnight rates are also reasonable priced starting at PhP 3,500 nett for Sunday to Thursday stays and PhP 3,700 nett for Friday & Saturday check-ins. For rates that come with daily breakfast buffet for up to two adults and two children aged 5 years old and below, rates begin at PhP 4,200 nett per night for a minimum of 2 nights, PhP 4,300 nett and PhP 4,500 nett for nightly stays from Sunday to Thursday and Friday to Saturday, respectively.

All guests also get complimentary use of the Health Club’s gym and heated indoor pool, scheduled afternoon snacks at the café and lemonade at the pool area on April 6, 7 & 8. And for the convenience of in-house guests on April 9, an Easter Sunday mass will be celebrated at the 3rd floor function rooms at 10:30am.

Savor the fresh and delicate flavors of Richmonde Café’s Seafood Specials featuring grilled marlin, sous vid black cod, and salmon teriyaki.

RHO Seafood Specials_Black Cod

RHO Seafood Specials_Grilled Blue Marlin

RHO Seafood Specials_Salmon Teriyaki

For guilt-free indulgences this Lent and the summer season, the hotel’s all-day dining restaurant, Richmonde Café, introduces new seafood specials featuring fresh and healthy pescatarian dishes like grilled blue marlin (PhP 810nett), sous vid black cod (PhP 940nett), and salmon teriyaki (PhP 865nett). These delightful entrées are available for a la carte orders the whole month of April.

For bookings and inquiries, call Richmonde Hotel Ortigas at (632) 8638 7777 or email stay@richmondeortigas.com. You may also call or message via mobile/Viber 0917 859 7914 (Room Reservations) and 0917 534 4352 (Richmonde Café).

As the initial venture of leading real estate company, Megaworld Corporation, into the hospitality business, Richmonde Hotel Ortigas is a proud local brand that opened in 1999 at the heart of the then-burgeoning Ortigas Center. It is now a member of the steadily growing stable of homegrown brands under the Megaworld Hotels and Resorts group. For more information on Richmonde Hotel Ortigas, log on to www.richmondehotelortigas.com.ph and for the latest news on the hotel, follow @RichmondeHotelOrtigas on Facebook and Instagram.

Earth Hour 2023 unites more than 60 NGOs, NGAs and LGUs to give the biggest hour for Earth

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The celebration of Earth Hour 2023 in the Philippines was a success, with iconic landmarks, local governments, and businesses across the country participating in the switch-off.

A T-rex hugs the “60” Earth Hour logo in front of the Manuel Quezon Memorial just before the lights were switched off for WWF-Philippines Earth Hour celebration last March 25, 2023.

Credit: WWF-Philippines/Alo Lantin

Earth Hour is an annual event organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature-Philippines (WWF-Philippines) that encourages people to turn off their lights for an hour as a symbol of their commitment to the planet. This global movement aims to raise awareness about climate change and the need for urgent action to mitigate its impacts. The event also seeks to highlight the value of nature as climate’s secret ally and the halting of biodiversity loss as one of the organization’s critical advocacies.

The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) measured a total nationwide drop in electricity grid load of 62.68 megawatts (MW) during Earth Hour. Luzon saw the most significant drop with 33.28 MW, while Visayas and Mindanao saw load drops of 20.5 MW and 8.9 MW, respectively. To put this into perspective, a small household can consume around 150 to 250 kilowatts in a month, making the energy saved during Earth Hour equivalent to 250 to 418 small households not consuming electricity for a whole month.

“We see how much Filipinos care about the planet because of their consistent annual participation in Earth Hour. Each person’s contribution adds up to the bigger goal of reducing the country’s reliance on fossil fuels,” Earth Hour Philippines National Director Atty. Angela Consuelo Ibay said.

“Now that Filipinos have taken the first step of switching off their lights, it’s time to keep going by going beyond the hour. We need more people to support environmental efforts whether it is in reducing plastic waste, promoting renewable energy, and eating and living sustainably,” she added.

Atty. Ibay explained that switching off the lights for one hour is just a small act for one person, but when millions of people do it, it adds up to significant savings in terms of energy usage. She said that the switch-off is simply the first step to becoming more aware of our individual roles in protecting the environment.

Members of The Scouts of the Philippines and parkgoers write their pledges for nature and the environment on the freedom wall during the annual celebration of Earth Hour on March 25, 2023..

Credit: WWF-Philippines/Janine Peralta

A cyclist and fitness enthusiast signs up for the Earth Hour Virtual Run in the WWF-Philippines booth at the Earth Hour Sustainability Fair.

Credit: WWF-Philippines/Janine Peralta

WWF-Philippines’ Earth Hour in-person program at the Quezon City Memorial Circle was hosted by WWF-Philippines ambassadors Janine Gutierrez, Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski and Karen Ibasco.

Credit: WWF-Philippines/Janine Peralta

This year’s Earth Hour was held on March 25 at the Quezon City Memorial Circle and was attended by an estimated 1,200 people, according to the Quezon City Department of Public Order and Safety. The event was marked by a series of activities, including a sustainability fair, a symbolic run for the Earth, and musical entertainment by local artists.

"It only takes 60 minutes to do good for our future, 60 minutes to take notice and commit to saving Mother Nature, to be united and take action because together nothing is impossible,” the President said in a video statement. "Let's switch off and give Mother Nature 60 minutes to breathe," he added.

In the previous year’s Earth Hour celebration, the total load drop measured was 65.32 MW for the entire country with the largest savings of 35.26 MW from Luzon, followed by 15.3 MW for Mindanao, and 14.76 MW for Visayas.

Since the first Earth Hour in 2007 in Australia, millions of people participate every year in Earth Hour from various sectors, groups, and parts of the world, making it an authentic movement of humanity for the environment. The Philippines joined the global movement in 2008. The yearly global switching off of lights is observed from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm, where over 190 countries around the world joined in as part of this one-of-a-kind global grassroots movement for nature.

The Quezon City Memorial Circle monument, which usually flashes multiple colors, shuts off its lights during Earth Hour   (Credit: WWF-Philippines/Alo Lantin)

Earth Hour 2023 is co-presented by Quezon City Government, together with our Official Communications and PR Partner, COMCO Mundo League of Enterprises; media partners The Philippine Star, GMA, Radyo Veritas, and Globaltronics; promotional partners Creator and Influencer Council of the Philippines, Leo Burnett, and GCash; marketing partners Salad Stop, Coca-Cola, SSI Group, Inc., Epson Philippines, Sun Life Foundation, Booths & Partners, Ayala Malls, and Megaworld Lifestyle Malls; and community partners Save the Children, Oxfam Pilipinas, World Vision, United Nations Development Programme, International Organization for Migration, Association of Young Environmental Journalists, The Asia Foundation, De La Salle University and Philippine Scouts.

The following government offices support this event: the Department of Energy, Climate Change Commission, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, League of Cities of the Philippines, League of Provinces of the Philippines, Department of Agriculture, Court of Appeals, Department of Health, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Department of Information and Communications Technology, National Historical Commission of the Philippines, National Parks Development Committee, National Economic Development Authority, Department of Education, Department of Interior and Local Governance, Laguna Lake Development Authority.

The success of the Earth Hour event in the Philippines serves as an inspiration to other countries in the region and around the world. It shows that by working together, we can make a difference in our planet's future.

The Night Agent accepts its next mission: Season 2

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Netflix renews The Night Agent for a second season consisting of 10 episodes. The series, which is produced by Sony Pictures Television Studios, premiered on March 23, 2023, and immediately reached Netflix’s Top 10. The series debuted in the #1 spot on the English TV List with 168.71M hours viewed, making it the most viewed title this week. The action-thriller ranks #3 for premiere week of viewing across all Season 1 TV and appeared in the Top 10 in 93 countries. 

Creator / Showrunner / Executive Producer: Shawn Ryan (The Shield, S.W.A.T.) with MiddKid Productions.

Executive Producers from the first season also include Marney Hochman with MiddKid Productions; Seth Gordon and Julia Gunn with Exhibit A; Jamie Vanderbilt, William Sherak, Paul Neinstein and Nicole Tossou with Project X; and David Beaubaire with Sunset Lane Media.

Season 1 Logline: Based on the novel by Matthew Quirk, The Night Agent is a sophisticated, character-based, action-thriller centering on a low level FBI Agent who works in the basement of the White House, manning a phone that never rings -- until the night that it does, propelling him into a fast moving and dangerous conspiracy that ultimately leads all the way to the Oval Office.

QUOTES:

• Shawn Ryan,  Creator, Showrunner, Executive Producer, The Night Agent: “The last week has been a whirlwind as we've finally been able to share The Night Agent with the world. To see the tremendous reaction to the show has been a great joy and is a credit to our cast, our writers, our directors, our crew and our partners at Sony Pictures Television and Netflix. We couldn't be any prouder or more excited to get cracking on Season 2 to share the further adventures of Night Action with our newfound fans.”

• Jinny Howe, Vice President of Drama Series, Netflix: “We’re proud to see The Night Agent deliver a breakout performance and become instantly embraced around the world. Shawn Ryan has created a spy thriller sensation that viewers cannot get enough of, with a stellar cast featuring Gabriel Basso, Luciane Buchanan and Hong Chau, and we’re here to bring them more of the action and suspense they love.”

• Katherine Pope, President of Sony Pictures Television: “We are thrilled to see The Night Agent become an instant global sensation and can’t wait to continue telling this story with our remarkable cast, creative leader, Shawn Ryan and our wonderful partners at Netflix.”